Marine steam-turbine arrangement



MARINE STEAM TURBINE ARRANGEMENT.

F. METTEN AND J. C SHAW.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1919.

Patented June 1, 1920.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. METTEN AND JAMES C. SHAW, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MARINE STEAM-TURBINE ARRANGEMENT.

' Application filed May 9, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN F. METTEN and JAMES C. SHAW, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine Steam-Turbine Arrangements, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a new and improved.system of steam turbines for operating ship propellers. It is desirable under certain circumstances to provide a turbine equipment to drive the ship propellers at full power for the highest speed, and to also provide means for modifying the equipment so that the propellers can be driven economically and efficiently at lower power for cruising; our invention has relation to providing an improved equipment for this purpose. Ve provide main turbine units individual to the respective propeller shafts to drive them alike at full power for high speed and we provide additional turbine units for cruising, with suitable mechanical connections to certain propeller shafts and suitable steam connections to certain main turbines so that in cruising the power may be economically and efiiciently applied. The objects of our invention indicated above and other objects will be readily appreciated upon consideration of a specific disclosure of one form of installation in which the invention may be embodied. It will be understood that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram of an installation embodying our invention, and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic axial section of a cruising turbine unit which appears as an element in Fig. 1.

lVithin the side walls 11 and 12 of the ship are the forward boiler room 16, forward engine room 15, intermediate boiler room 14 and after engine room 13. From the two outside propellers 18 and 20 the shafts 17 and 19 extend forward to the forward engine room 15, and the respective shafts 21 and 23 extend from the inner propellers 22 and 24.- into the after engine room 13.

In the forward engine room 15, the main Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920. Serial No. 295,853.

high pressure turbine 25 and the associated relatively low pressure turbine 35 are con nected by gearing 37 to the shaft 17. Steam from the boiler room'is admitted through valve 26, branch pipe 27 and one of the three alternative valves 28, 2-9 or 30 to the corresponding steam belt 31, 32 or 33 on the high pressure turbine 25. The steam from the high pressure unit 25 goes through the intern'iediate connecting pipe 31 to the low pressure unit 35, and thence through the pipe 36 to the condenser indicated by the letter C.

On the shaft of the turbine 25 is a clutch 38 through which connection can be made from the cruising unit 10 through the reducing gears 39. This cruising unit 40 is shown more fully in Fig. 2. It may be supplied with live steam from the boiler room 16 through the valve 42 and associated conduit into the steam belt 41, from which nozzles deliver the steam to the singlecompound velocity stage 46. These nozzles may be adjusted by valves such as 45. From the stage 46, the steam may pass through the bypass valve 43, when open, around the stage 47 and thence through the valve all to the branch pipes 27 and 49, or either of them. hen the bypass valve 13 is closed, the steam from the stage 4:6 goes through the nozzles 48 and through the stage 47 and then through the valve 41.

The main high pressure unit 56 on the other side of the engine room 15 and the associated low pressure unit 58 are connected through gearing 62 with the shaft 19.

The high pressure unit 56 receives steam through pipe 49 through either valve 26 or 41. The high pressure unit 56 has three steam belts 53, 51 and 55 controlled respectively by the valves 50. 51 and 52, so that steam may be admitted as desired to any particular one of these three steam belts. The exhaust from the unit 56 goes through the intermediate pipe 57 to the low pressure unit 58 and thence the exhaust goes through the pipe 59 to the condenser indicated as C.

\Vithin the end 61 of the casing of the low pressure 'unit 58, there is appropriate blading for reverse operation, the live steam supply coming through a conduit from the boiler room 16 controlled by the valve 60.

In the after engine room 13, the two the valve 43.

shafts 21 and 23 are driven respectively from the reducing gears 62 and37. The high pressure unit 25' receives steam from the boiler room 14 through the valve 26, branch pipe 27 and alternatively through one valve 28, 29 or 30 to a corresponding steam belt 31, 32' or 33. The steam from the unit 25 goes through an intermediate pipe 34' to the low pressure unit 35' and thence through the piping 36' to the condenser C. Turbine 25 has a clutch 38 on its shaft by which connectionv may be made from the cruising unit 40 through the reducing gears 39. The cruising unit 40 is' similar to the unit 40 described heretofore. It may receive live steam from the boiler room 14 through the valve 42, passing it through both stages or bypassing it through The valve 41 controls the exhaust conduit from which the steam may be delivered through either branch pipe 27 or 49' or through both.

The high pressure unit 56 may receive high pressure steam through valve 26 andbranch pipe 49, or intermediate pressure steam from cruising unit 40 through valve 41 and branch 49. In either case admission is made to a respective steam belt 53, 54 or 55 by means of one of the alternative valves 50, 51 and 52. The steam from the high pressure unit 56 goes through the intermediate pipe 57 to the low pressure .unit 58 and thence by pipe 59' to the condenser C. For reverse drive under cruising conditions the live steam is conducted from the boiler room 14 through the valve 60 to the appropriate blading within the part 61 of the casing of the low pressure unit 58. The two units 56 and 58 act through the gearing 62 on the shaft 21.

For full power operation the clutches 38 and 38' will be disconnected and the valves 42, 41, 42 and 41 will be closed. Live steam from the boiler rooms 16 and 14 will "pass throughthe valves 26 and 26' to each of the four main high pressure units 25, 56, 56 and 25', and thence to the respective low pressure units 35, 58, 58 and 35, and the combined turning effort of these eight turbines will be applied through the gear sets 37, 62, 62 and 37 to the respective propellers 18, 20, 22 and 24.

For the highest cruising speed, valves 26 and 26' will be closed and valves 42, 41,

Y42' and 41 will be opened. Also valves 29, 51, 51. and 29 will be opened. Also bypassvalves 43, 43 will be opened. Accordingly live steam will pass through the stage 46 of the cruising unit 40, thence through the valve 41 and divide, part going to the intermediate belt 32 and part to the intermediate belt 54. Thus the propeller shaft 18 will receive power fromv the mechanical connection from the unit 40 through the gears 39 and it will also receive through the 29, 51, 51' and 29 will be closed and valves 28, 50, 50' and 28 will be open thus admitting the intermediate pressure steam to the first belt in each main high pressure unit 25, 56, 56' and 25.

For the next reduced cruising speed the valves 28, 29 and 30 will all be closed and the steam from the cruising unit 40 will all go through the branch 49 and valve 52 to the belt 55. At this time the only power received by the shaft 18 will be that due to the mechanical connection from the cruising unit'40 through the two sets of gears 39 and 37 and the power received by the shaft 19 will be that due. to the intermediate pres sure steam from the unit 40 through the branch pipe 49. Similar changes will be made in the after engine room to those in the forward room for ea'clr stage of cruising speed.

The next reduction in cruising speed will be obtained fromthe preceding by opening the valve 51 and 'closing the valve 50. Also at this stage the bypass valve 43 may appropriately be closed thus sending the steam in the cruising unit 40 through both stages 46.and-47 in succession. The next stage of reduced cruising speed is obtained by opening valve 50 and closing valve 51, thus introducing the steam to the unit 56 through the first steam belt 53.

For reversing at various cruising condi-,

tions, the clutches 38 and 38 may be left in engagement. The valves 42 and 42 will be closed, and the valves 60 and 61' will be opened. Thus the two propellers 22 and 20 will be given a reverse drive, but it is to be noted that the cruising units 40 and 40' have mechanical connection only with the other propellers 18 and 24, so that the reverse operation as just described by means of propellers 22 and 20 does not necessitate dlsconnecting the clutches. Nevertheless the reverse operation as just, described in- -volves drlving two propellers, one on each side of the ship, so that there remains a substantial balance in propeller effort on the two sides of the ship.

With our invention, a comparatively small number of cruising units is required. In the example here disclosed, although there are four propeller shafts, each with its main turbine equipment for full power,

only two extra cruislng units are required.

\Yith these two units the speed can be appropriately reduced and yet the system can be operated with high economy of steam and with proper balancing of propeller effort on the two sides of the ship. A graded series of cruising speeds can be obtained by the various adjustments as described without any sacrifice in efliciency and with convenient manipulation of the apparatus. The arrangement facilitates reversing under cruising conditions by making it unnecessary to disconnect the clutches for the cruising units.

1. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts, two on each side, four respective main turbines for high speed operation, two extra turbines for cruising, each having a mechanical connection with a shaft on one side and an intermediate steam connection therefrom to a main turbine on the opposite side.

2. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts. two on each side, four respective main turbines for high speed operation. two extra turbines for cruisin each having a mechanical connection with a shaft on one side and intermediate steam connections branching therefrom tothe main turbine on the same shaft and to a main turbine on the opposite side.

3. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts, two on each side, four respective main turbines for high speed operation. two extra turbines for cruising, and intermediate steam connections branching therefrom to two main turbines on opposite sides.

' 4. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts. two on each side, four respective main geared turbine sets for high speed operation. two extra turbines for cruising, each having a mechanical connection with a shaft on one side. and an inter-1 mediate steam connection therefrom to a main turbine set on the opposite side.

In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts. two on each side. four respective main turbines for high speed operation. two extra turbines for cruising. each having a mechanical connection with a shaft on one side and an intermediate steam connection therefrom to a main turbine on the opposite side. said main turbines to which such intermediate connections go each having a plurality of steam belts. and branch connections with valves by which the steam may be delivered to any particular belt.

6. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts, two on each side, four respective main turbines for high speed operation, two extra turbines for cruising, and intermediate steam connections branching therefrom to two main turbines on opposite sides, said main turbines each having a plurality of steam belts, and branch connections with valves by which the steam may be delivered to any particular belt.

7. In a marine turbine installation, a forward engine room, an after engine room, two main turbines in the forward room, two main turbines in the after room, respective propeller shafts therefrom, the two shafts from each room being on opposite sides, and an extra turbine in each room connected for the delivery of power therethrough to both shafts from the same room.

8. In a marine turbine installation, a forward engine room, an after engine room, two main turbines in the forward room, two main turbines in the after room, respective propeller shafts therefrom, the two shafts from each room being on opposite sides, and an extia turbine in each room mechanically connected to one of the two shafts from the same room and having an intermediate steam connection to the main turbine on the other shaft inthe same room.

9. In a marine turbine installation, a forward engine room, an after engine room, two main turbines in the forward room, two main turbines in the after room, respective propeller shafts therefrom, the two shafts from each room being on opposite sides, and an extra turbine ineach room having intermediate steam connections branching therefrom to the main turbines in the same room.

10. In a marine turbine installation two propeller shafts on opposite sides, respective main turbines therefor, an extra turbine for cruising, a mechanical connection from said extra turbine to one shaft and an intermediate steam connection to the turbine on the other shaft, said extra turbine being of compound "elocity stage type with variable nozzle control and having an additional stage and a controllable steam bypass around it.

11. In a marine turbine installation two propeller shafts on opposite sides, respective main turbines therefor, an extra turbine for cruising, and connections to apply power through said extra turbine to both said shafts simultaneously, said extra turbine being of compound velocity stage type with variable nozzle control and having an additional stage and a controllable steam bypass around it.

12. In a marine turbine installation, four propeller shafts. two on each side, four re- I spective main turbines for high speed operation, two extra turbines for crulsing, each having a mechanical connection with a shaft turbine units connected to drive'respective propeller shafts, a cruising turbine connected to one of said units and thereby to its respective shaft, and means for admitting steam directly to the said two units at one power or through said cruising turbine and thence to said two'units at another power. 14. In a marine turbine installation, a

main turbine driving a propeller shaft at one power and having a plurality of steam belts, an auxiliary cruising turbine adapted to be connected to said main turbine to drive said shaft at another power, and connections for admitting steam to said main turbine independently ofsaid cruising turbine at one power or through said cruising turbine and thence selectively to one or an- 15. In a marine turbine installation two propeller shafts on opposite sides, respective main turbines therefor, an extra turbine for cruising, a mechanical connection from said extra turbine to one shaft and an intermediate steam connection to the turbine on the other shaft, said extra turbine being of compound velocity stage type .and having an additional stage and a controllable steam bypass around it.

JOHN F. METTEN. JAMES C. SHAW. 

